African American males are told at an early age to dress up in their Sunday best, do not interrupt a speaker, walk straight, do not tell a lie, obey and respect their elders, do not make fun of people that are less fortunate, respect women, respect the police or people of authority, and to get a college education. African American men have had to do all of these things and are still not being accepted.

Somebody forgot to tell the current President Elect. This is what privilege encourages, mis-behavior , disrespect, rudeness, and dishonesty. This man encourages xenophobia, misogyny and bigotry. This is what racism looks like and sounds like. He has doubled down on his promises surrounding himself with individuals from the new cool political term, The Alt Right in his cabnet.This is the code words for Ku Klux Klan, Neo Nazi, White Supremest, and White Nationalist groups. Apparently, this is what the United States of America and minorities will be dealing with the next four years.

PRESIDENT OBAMA

Eight years ago President Barack Obama stood outside of The White House on a chilly day the third week of January in Washington D.C. stating “YES WE CAN”. Eight years ago there was a struggling middle class, a class that was disappearing right before our very eyes, a class that was ignored by the American political system and eight years ago there was a cavernous racial divide with massive job disparities. Our new president tried to heal those wounds with little or no support from either party. This compassionate president created that bond with the people that YES, worked together as one. There was a comforting warm good feeling all over the country when this man entered 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. THAT HAS VANISHED.

If the United States would truthfully face their troubling history there would be less strife and conflict but it seems that America loves to fight, even loves it’s history when they are incorrect.

President Obama became our first official Black president but we all know that is not true. Our nation’s first president was a Black man (John Henson) when the country was in transition from New York to Washington with stops in Burlington, New Jersey and Philadelphia Pennsylvania. We have had six more Black Presidents but don’t tell anybody that secret. The last Black president was Dwight D. Eisenhower. This is the kind of history African Americans should be proud of, but America would not allow it because then the government would have to treat Black people as human.

DONALD J. TRUMP

The United States has taken a very dangerous step backwards. America responded by electing Donald J. Trump, who does not have a day of political service, a man who has fanned the flames of racism, misogyny, and bigotry, a man who does not know the truth even if it smacked him in the face. This great nation has moved back to 1968 some have even have suggested 1957, when America did not have the so called problems of the modern era.

America needs to look into the mirror and ask itself what do we want for this great nation Mr. Trump wants “TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”, which are code words for making America white again. Minorities had made too much progress for BOBBA AND BOBBETT, and they felt left out. They struck back with anger and vengeance. Bobba and Bobbett experienced what the working class African Americans felt since 1940 and wanted change in Washington.

WHITELASH

This was a knee jerk reaction to our Black leader Barack Obama’s eight year political reign. He could have done everything right and middle America still would have voted for THE DONALD.

America reverted back to its old racist self. They love Black culture but they can’t stand Black people. That was the clear message in the election of 2016. HOW DOES THIS WORK?

If you don’t believe, look at this: There are two new television shows with smart people as characters “BIG BANG THEORY”, and “SCORPION” . What Black people are not smart? Black people are not geeks? Maybe NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox need to travel south to a (HBCU) Historically Black Colleges and Universities and interview the graduates from these established schools. Check out the commercials everyday, James Brown, Hip Hop, Disco, R&B, and jazz fill the television screens every half hour. Americans are glued to the tube for the Black stars of Empire and Scandal neither of these shows are flattering towards African Americans. Question, how many positive roles are on national television with STRONG African American men? Who cares when you are making money off of stereotypes.

SPORTS

JUST WIN BABY- This racial attitude permeates the sports world too. As long as these young Black athletes win for their owner, their city, their country, and fans, its o.k, but if they speak out, become political, or start losing games they are shipped out the door. African Americans have to be supermen on the ice, field, diamond, or court while white players can be average.

Does Tim Tebow, the University of Florida quarterback ring a bell. This man has not played a single inning of baseball in 25 years yet his number 15 baseball jersey became the number one seller in the United States this summer. When the Cleveland Browns drafted quarterback Johnny Manziel, his number 2 jersey became the number one seller in America, The only trouble was that the Texas A& M Aggie player had not played a down of football in the National Football League.

At the same time Americans burned Black basketball star, LeBron James jerseys in two cities-Miami and Cleveland, burned Kevin Durant jerseys in Oklahoma City and American Patriots carrying Confederate Flags burned San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick jerseys all over the country. This past summer Miami Heat fans repeated their actions burning their only superstar player Dwyane Wade jersey. Queston, when was the last time sports fans burned a white players jersey, ANSWER – NEVER. That is America’s underwear showing their racism AGAIN

The GREATEST of all times Muhammad Ali- was stripped of his World Championship Boxing title in 1971 because he refused to defend his country on religious grounds. This is the first attack on Islam. Ali was the spokesmen for many African American men. Ali had to be silenced.

Mahumoud Abdul Rauf-Chris Johnson of the Denver Nuggets was Kaepernick before there was a number seven. Raul converted to the Islamic Faith in 1996 and refused to stand for the Star Spangled Banner because he felt the song disrespected Black people. The Nuggest released him that same year. Rauf was a good player that came off the bench and scored points.

Colin Kaepernick is the most recent victim of America’s scorn as we return to 1968 faster than a speeding bullet. Mr. Kaepernick, quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers wanted to bring forth issues that African Americans deal with on a daily basis by kneeling during the National Anthem. He got that attention but he also received scorn from middle America.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos- These men struck a blow for Civil Rights in the 1968 Summer Games in Mexico City with fist raised on the winners podium. The Black gloves and bare feet were symbols of American oppression and they made the world notice. America took vengeance again by ignoring these two champions. Making them persona non-gratis for 15 years. This was the reward for winning the gold and bronze medals.

Even teams were getting involved in the Civil Rights Movement. The Phoenix Suns fought for the MLK holiday in their home state of Arizona. This team also made a statement against their states strong anti-immigration bill by wearing Los Suns uniforms on the Cinco De Mayo holiday. The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and Portland Trailblazers joined them. The Suns have not been in the playoff since.

DANGER AHEAD

Donald J. Trump spoke on November 29 and stated that he would have severely punished all of the athletes above. He also stated that Americans that burned the flag should have their citizenship revoked or be in jail for a year . This is striking at the heart of the First Amendment and the erosion of free speech. This could be the first blow to Civil Rights.

Mr. Trump ran a campaign like Richard Nixon, like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush using every wedge issue available, taxes, defense, race, immigration, and law and order.

Donald J. Trump ran against my humanity and many other disabled Americans humanity. In fact he ran against world humanity and won, but what did you expect from the Republican Party.

We commend the Republican Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley and the legislators of Mississippi and Alabama for making a motion in their state houses and senates to take down the Confederate Flag but the struggle must continue. The National Conversation on Race must take place or America will not be at peace.

Southern States want to relive the Civil War with this recent conversation and it’s not beneficial to the United States, it is not beneficial to its residents nor its political leaders. These Southern States (5) have the Stars and Bars as part of their state flag.

Question: Is this praising white culture and its heritage or a back door to racism, that is in the eye of the beholder?

Southern white Christians used the Confederate Flag and the church to suppress African Americans; they are trying to do it again. White Christians have some questions that have to be answered.

“We are in no position to judge the souls of hundreds of thousands of men long dead. But to judge their cause is a simple matter, and their cause was monstrous. And whatever the anguish of white Southerners over this re-evaluation of the past, it pales in comparison to the trauma wrought by the lionization of the Confederacy.

“We are sometimes asked, in the name of patriotism,” said Frederick Douglass in 1871, “to forget the merits of this fearful struggle, and to remember with equal admiration those who struck at the nation’s life and those who struck to save it, those who fought for slavery and those who fought for liberty and justice.”

Once we chose to forget. We are now choosing to remember”.

“The North’s acquiescence to this purging of historical memory is an essential part of this story. It is not only the sins of the South that must be reckoned with. The Unionist coalition was bigger than the secessionist coalition, but the white supremacist coalition, North and South, dwarfed both of them until the middle of the 20th century.”

The issue must come back to the National Conversation on Race we must not get sidetracked by the confedreate flag controversy we must keep America’s feet to the fire and deal with the racial divide in this great nation. Keep your eyes on the prize.

The United States of America can achieve the heights of greatness when needed, can achieve this greatness in a time of victory. This country has become lazy and thoughtless when it comes to race relations the past 40-50 years. The question needs to be asked will this country strive for that greatness AGAIN, will this country strive for victory in this battle against racism. America tried fixing the problem in 2008 by electing its first known African American president. Most Americans thought that the race problem would be solved by this electoral achievement. It was not, and from 2008 to 2015 racial incidents have increased. The problems between cultures have doubled.

The United States government has failed people of color time and time again which has created this cavernous racial divide in 2015. 1.) Our Native American brothers and sisters were pushed west on reservations and forgotten. 2.) Our Japanese-American brothers and sisters were put in internment camps during World War II as a non combatant enemy. 3.) Thousands and thousands of African men, women, and children were forced to come to the United States into servitude for life.

For African Americans, the playing field is still not level in 2015. This is the racial legacy of the United States of America. Minorities are told everyday to forget about these historical events and move on with their lives. How can this happen when it is part of African American culture? It is our heritage to survive

Americans are told NEVER to forget September 11, 2001. Americans are told NEVER to forget the Holocaust, and the American Civil War.

Blacks are told to get over the history of slavery and move on but these horrible events are part of our culture. American schools are not teaching our children the following events and if this continues Black history will disappear. African Americans are told to forget this date and the institution of slavery.

Date: Tuesday August 20, 1619 It was on this date in 1619 that 20 Africans arrive at Hampton, Virginia, aboard a Dutch ship. They were the first Africans on record to be forcibly settled as involuntary laborers in the North American British Colonies.

2) Forget Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma which burned to the ground on May 31, 1921 and killed over 300 African American men, women, and children. Over 1,000 Black owned business lost and over 3,000 people homeless. There has never been another Black Wall Street in the United States.

3) Forget horseback riders in the night looking for Black political community leaders to hang from a covenient tree. For those who think those days are over then explain what happened in Charleston, South Carolina last week. That was a lynching only with the modern convenience of a gun.

4) Forget about what happened to 14 year old Emmett Till who just looked at a cute Caucasian woman the wrong way and died on August 28, 1955. Young Till was just flirting as young men will but he picked a woman of another color. This young boy was beaten to death by an unruly mob.

5) Forget about the 1930-1950 Jim Crow Laws with separate and unequal services.

6) Forget about February 1, 1960 The lunch counter sit-ins were African American citizens who were spit on, kicked, and liquids poured on them for just wanting equal service at the counter of Woolworth’s in Greensboro, North Carolina.

7) Forget about African Americans not being able to play professional baseball, football, or basketball 1947-1962.

8) Forget how the Black Panthers were systematically destroyed while helping the minority community of Oakland, California to defend itself in 1968-75

This is the racial legacy of the United States of America.

NEVER FORGET THESE DATES

Now moving forward to 2015 when a young 21 year old tried to play God, shooting down nine faithful African American Christians. This lost young soul walked into the sacred ground of the Black historical church in the south. Church members should have felt safe in Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal AME at bible study. This is a non-verbal no fly zone for violence. The members of Mother Emanuel AME were not safe.

White America has to start answering some pointed questions about privilege and the lack of respect toward minorities.

QUESTIONS LIKE:-

1) How can the North Carolina police force of Shelby treat a man that had just killed nine people with kindness to the point of buying a hamburger at Burger King before sending him to jail? Do they give African American killers this treatment?

2) Officers gently and politely escort him to the police car from jail and protecting his head from hitting the roof of the cruiser. HMMM, never seen this with African Americans prisioners.

3) Why did they put on bullet proof vest before transporting the alleged killer to the country airport? Do they give African Americans this protection?

4) The judge spoke about giving sympathy to the young man’s family in front of the victims’ families who had just lost their loved ones. It was neither the time nor the place to do or say this.

These are all remnants of white male privilege even after this young male had broken the law and destroyed families. This young man lives to tell the story while young Black males never get that chance.

This was not afforded to Freddie Gray-Baltimore, Michael Brown-St. Louis, Eric Gardner-New York, Oscar Grant-Oakland, Trayvon Martin-Florida, Walter Scott-South Carolina, and Tamir Rice-Cleveland. African American males who needed to speak and cannot. We have to do it for them, all races and all cultures have to speak for them. Once again a lynching, this time by public authority

What happened in Charleston, South Carolina on Wednesday June 17, 2015 should never happen again.

We commend the Republican Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley and the legislators of Mississippi and Alabama for making a motion in their state houses and senates to take down the Confederate Flag but the struggle must continue. The National Conversation on Race must take place or America will not be at peace.

DO NOT GET DISTRACTED!!!!

We have work to do my fellow Americans.

Notes; – buzzfeed.com

Gary Norris Gray – Writer, Author, Historian. Gibbs Magazine-Oakland, California and New England Informer- Boston Mass. THE GRAYLINE:- The Analects of A Black Disabled Man, The Gray Leopard Cove, Soul Tree Radio In The Raw, and The Batchelor Pad Network on Blogtalkradio.com Disabled Community Activist. Email at garyngray@blackathlete.com

thoughts on charleston and justice
I recently visited a facility in our area that rescues marine mammal life. Volunteers in the hundreds literally come 24 hours a day to care for these animals. Thousands and thousands of private donation dollars each year are poured into this facility to rescue and rehabilitate these animals. As I walked away from seeing these rehabilitated seals and sea lions, I honestly just got kind of angry. Our African American brothers and sisters are dying. Our Native American brothers and sisters are dying. Our Latino American brothers and sisters are dying. And no one seems to care, but these little cute sea lions are rescued and sent back into the ocean – so all is well with the world???!!! (I’m not trying to say I don’t care about the environment, but come on guys, something is really wrong here with our distribution of resources). I heard a powerful sermon on justice a few years ago at church and my take away was that Justice IS caring for my fellow human as if they were your biological brother and sister – seeing them as human and as your family. Granted You and I alone cannot save the world. But, together we can do something. I was thinking today and grieving for Charleston. This isn’t just about 9 people in a church killed for the color of their skin. I was thinking, it’s about decades, centuries actually of hatred and killing and slavery. It’s about police profiling and white privilege. and many other issues that I can’t get into in one blog post.. But to add to the list It’s ALSO about chronic grief. Because of the color the skin you were born with. I know I don’t really get it because I come from a privileged ethnicity and class. But I want to try to get it. We have a responsibility to GET IT. I have only experienced a touch of chronic grief. Most parents with children with medical or developmental conditions can attest to the chronic grief and stress of raising a child with disabilities. Most caretakers of the elderly or health care workers or policemen or social workers can attest to what chronic grief feels like. Most people suffering from cancer or chronic illness can also relate to chronic grief. It’s sad things happening to you over and over and over and over. But today I realized that my brothers and sisters of color are basically living lives BEYOND chronic grief. They are living lives equivalent to those in WAR TORN nations. They experience the stress and grief of seeing family and friends die tragically day after day, the injustice of people in power persecuting them for the color of their skin, the hopelessness of seeing their children be born to a world that tells them that they have a high probability of dying or being incarcrated before they turn 18, the reality of DAILY hunger and poverty and crime and hatred. And no one seems to care or even acknowledge that the problem is there. People actually blame them for their problems. They blame them for being born with a skin color other than their own. Ok Enough of the soap box. What can I do? What can YOU do? Be Aware, Grieve, and stop talking and debating about it and go DO. Become a Big brother or Big sister. Financially sponsor a child’s school expenses, for the next year, or better yet, through graduation. Buy that family dinner or groceries, for a week, for a month, for a year. Pay that family’s rent check, for 6 months.. Volunteer in the community, once a month, and not just on Christmas. Reach out to a local school with a low API score. Offer snacks, your time, computer help to the teachers. Donate to causes doing direct work in the community, such as the Salvation Army Volunteer at the local hospital that serves people who are uninsured Look at your Money, your Schedule, your Emotional bandwidth – then go out – Go to the “other side of the tracks” Talk to pastors and community workers who are on the ground in the trenches and ask them what you can do to help them! Pray generally and specifically Make a difference in the life of ONE person, One Family, One CHILD. Do what you can, but please do something…. Because if we do nothing, we are perpetuating the problem. That is justice. Now GO.

On Tuesday, June 16, the nation joined together to watch the conclusion of the (NBA) National Basketball Association Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. All races joined together in competition and celebration in compiling the highest television ratings for the Finals in history. The next night, this appearance of racial harmony was destroyed by the shooting of nine African Americans in Charleston, South Carolina, allegedly by a young white male fueled by racial hate. The undercurrent of racial tension in this country can no longer be concealed, and must be confronted. America needs a National Discussion on Race and Violence.

The Charleston Church murders have prompted the usual arguments assigning blame to failure to control guns; liberals vs. conservatives; drugs; parenting; declining values; lack of respect for life; the Confederate stars and bars still represented in the flags of several states, and flown over the South Carolina State House; and whatever other themes politicians and partisans may seize upon. These are all parts of the picture, but to seize only upon just one or a few of them is to miss the over-arching problem. The problem is Race and Violence in the United States.

President Barack Obama stated the killings occurred in part because the shooter had no trouble acquiring a gun. Critics have characterized this as a political play for gun control. But the President went on to state that “we as a country will have to reckon with the fact that this type of mass violence does not happen in other advanced countries. It doesn’t happen in other places with this kind of frequency.”

We must see that we are a violent country, internally, and that this violence now, in 2015, not 1860, is too easily and too frequently imposed on people of color. A church shooting in 2015 is too reminiscent of the Birmingham church bombing of 1963, 52 years ago, in which four Black girls were killed as they changed into their choir robes. The bombing had occurred a week after the Birmingham School District were ordered to integrated, and just more than two weeks after Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. How far have we not come?

The bombers were members of the Ku Klux Klan. One was prosecuted and convicted in 1977; two others were convicted in 2001 and 2002, and one had grown senile over time and was incompetent for trial. The prosecutions had been delayed for years because of local resistance to bringing the cases to trial and later difficulty in obtaining evidence from (FBI) Federal Bureau of Investigation files in the federal investigation of the bombing.

In an interview with New Yorker writer David Remnick, President Obama has said he was hesitant to answer questions about race more fully or with less caution because a harsh or intemperate word about race could affect the political temper of the country. Thus, the President acknowledges that race is a powder keg, which could be set off by the slightest of sparks, but about which he, the leader of the Free World and the Commander in Chief of the most powerful nation on the planet, cannot speak freely. He, who can order deaths in foreign countries, is not at liberty to speak about deaths at home, for fear of setting off an explosion here.

If the President will not speak, we must. The powder keg is in fact being set off, bullet by bullet, death by death. The silence is killing. The President’s fear of an explosion speaks to the urgency of having a national discussion on race. If we are that close to a blow up, and shots are already being fired, we must talk about it.

It has been reported that the Charleston shooter asserted to his victims “You rape our women and you’re taking over our country.” Is this the belief of one deranged killer, or a group to which he belongs, or a more widespread hostility? Why is there such hate and fear? What is the basis for it? What is the response? What to do about white guilt and black anger over the remnants of slavery? What is the antidote? To get the answers, we need to ask the questions. We must discuss this.

Why do we have police who are members of white supremacy groups? Why do we have an inordinate and more frequent occurrence of shootings of Black citizens by that same police force? Remember that it is only the one percent of rogue policeman who are creating this problem. 99 percent are heroes and work hard every day. Yet it was in North Charleston, S.C., where an officer was charged with murder in April for the shooting of an unarmed black man fleeing from what began as a traffic stop.

Why are citizens afraid? Why are police afraid? Of what and of who? Are citizens defiant and disrespectful? Are police hostile and reactive? We must talk about it.

The discussion is greater than Us vs. Them. It is greater than the prison-industrial complex and its need to fill prison cells. It is greater than the gun lobby and its desire to hold and sell guns. It is greater than the military-industrial complex and its desire to fund a never-ending passion for international violence on people of color. These are all aspects of the problem, but they are not THE problem. THE problem is race. We must talk about it. We need a National Discussion on Race in the United States and we need it TODAY.

OAKLAND, CA. – The recent conclusion of the NBA Finals, followed by the church shooting the next day in Charleston, S.C., recalls the previous basketball season and what the Los Angeles Clippers could have done then for racial justice and equality, but did not. The issue then was the Clippers past owner Donald Sterling making recorded racial statements to his gal-pal V. Stiviano. The team that wears red, white, and blue could have been in the historical record books fighting against racism and bigotry. Instead, personal finances became more important than civil rights. Money became more important than racial justice. The modern athlete carefully picks his/her words and his/her actions because it could affect his/her sports career.
NO HEART

On April 27, 2014 the team made a political and social decision. The Los Angeles Clippers could have made a powerful political statement to America that night, The battle for racial justice sometimes requires making critical sacrifices. This organization was not willing to make those sacrifices.
NO HEART

The Clippers gathered at center court before a 118-97 Game 4 loss in their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors and took off their Clippers warm-up shirts and left them there. They then warmed up wearing inside-out red shooting shirts that did not display the Clippers name or logo. During the game, players wore black arm or wrist bands and black socks. But they continued to play the game. They could have, and should have, walked off the court, refusing to play for Sterling, perhaps forfeiting the game, forfeiting a pay check, sending shock waves through the economics of the NBA and its commercial sponsors, but sending a message.
NO HEART

In 1968 John Carlos and Tommy Smith lead the way with their fist in the air and no shoes on the podium. The Black Power Salute sent shock waves at the 68′ Mexico Summer Games. Carlos and Smith made that sacrifice to tell the world about the poor conditions of Black people in the United States.

African Americans would have honored this team in Hollywood 40, 50, or 60 years from now if they too made that sacrifice. Instead this team will be just a footnote in National Basketball history.

The firebrand athlete of the 1960’s and 1970’s are gone but not forgotten. Jim Brown, Muhammad Ali, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar pulled no punches. As the late sportscaster Howard Cosell stated many times “Tell it like it is”.

The Los Angeles Clippers could have boycotted game four in Oakland, California. They had the support of the Golden State Warriors players and staff along with the Portland Trailblazers organization who were playing another game in Oregon. The Los Angeles Clippers could have walked off the court to send a message to (ABC) The American Broadcasting Company and (ESPN) The Entertainment and Sports Programming Network. It did not happen and ABC, ESPN, and their advertisers went on their merry way, cashing in on their profits.
NO HEART

During a 45-minute team meeting on Saturday, Clippers player voiced their anger about the tape and discussed various options of protest, including boycotting the game.

The Clippers went on to beat the young Golden State Warriors four games to three but the die was cast that night for the Los Angeles Clippers. The hearts and minds of the Clippers Black players lay on the floor of Oracle Arena and their championship aspirations as well. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrooks of the Oklahoma City Thunder ended the Clips season in six games.

In the 2014-2015 season the Los Angeles Clippers were the favored team to win the Western Conference. This year, the Clippers beat the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoff in a seven game thriller but lost the next round to the undermanned Houston Rockets and James Harden. This Clipper team had no heart last season, and continued to be infected this year.
NO HEART

I hardly ever agree with Charles Barkley, “The Round Mound of Rebound”, but this time he was right on point: “If somebody wants to be racist, that’s all right. That’s their thing, but when you’re in a position of power and you can take jobs and economic opportunity from people that’s what crosses the line.”

Los Angeles Clipper owner Donald Sterling had the ears of young America, and the NBA along with ESPN did not mute that voice until it was too late. ESPN’s reporter Bomani Jones stated: Donald Sterling has long been a practitioner of racism and the NBA could not have cared less. Jones is rightfully apoplectic at the present response. That is because he understands that the NBA, its players and its fans, don’t so much object to Donald Sterling’s racism—they object to his want of elegance.

Sports, politics, and race will continue to cross paths as Jessie Owens proved in the Berlin Summer Games in 1936 under the banners of the Hitler Régime. Sports can be a conduit to improve race relations in the United States as men women and children work together to win championships. What happened in Los Angeles a year ago and what happened in Charleston, South Carolina last week proves that we have work to do.

Gary Norris Gray- BASN- Staff Reporter
OAKLAND, CA.- The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers arrived at the 2015 Championship in very similar ways through the draft, going through numerous coaching changes and blowing up their rosters. The Warriors hired Mark Jackson in 2011 after a parade of coaches. Jackson instilled the art of defending and it is now paying off for the Dubs. The Dubs are a term of endearment that Bay Area fans call them. They lead the league in team defense. Not a surprise coming from the House of the New York Knicks, Mark Jackson’s caterpillar has turned into a fierce butterfly with the help of Steve Kerr’s offense.
The Cleveland Cavaliers hired three different coaches in four years, sending mixed messages to the team. The Cavs fired Mike Brown in 2010. Then Cleveland hired Byron Scott on July 1, for the 2010-13 seasons after a complete overhaul of the front office. Scott was a strict disciplinarian and wanted to restore order on the floor. It did not happen and the team went into a complete tailspin, a nose-dive. The Cavalier organization rehired Mike Brown in 2013-14 to rebuild confidence in the players. It worked and the team seemed to be playing better but the upper management wanted to go in a different direction AGAIN!
In 2014 Cleveland hired David Blatt from the Middle East and European basketball leagues. LeBron James also came back home. James left for South Beach and two NBA Championships while the Cavs stayed mired in last place of the Central Division collecting first round draft choices.
Between 2010-2012 The Cleveland Cavaliers traded starting guards Delonte West, and Sebastian Telfair, and then released second stringers guard Mo Williams and small forward Jamario Moon.
To complete the rebuilding process the Cavs drafted Kyrie Irving in the first round in 2011, then in 2011 drafted Dion Waiters in the first round. In August 2014 they signed free agent All Star Power forward-center- Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves to lure LeBron James back to the Mid-West. It worked. Love had been the double-double man, the main offense for the Wolves. He would have to change his game playing with the King in Cleveland.
Cleveland created the new Big Three in the Eastern Conference, Love, James, and Irving.
The New York Knicks also helped Cleveland by dumping guards J.R Smith and Iman Shumpert who underachieved at Madison Square Garden for salary cap issues in the middle of the season. Knick forward-center Carmelo Anthony received a new contract and Shumpert and Smith felt neglected in New York City. Cleveland had the insight to pick up both players. Shumpert and Smith were in the middle of their basketball careers and Cleveland needed shooters to relive the pressure on James. The Cavs responded with a mini winning streak. James’s passing abilities on the floor made Smith and Shumpert better shooters on the fly. This makes Cleveland a very dangerous team in the playoffs..
For Cleveland to defeat Golden State they have to put a body on Klay Thompson and Stephan Curry at the three point line. The Cavs also have to fight through the many screens and double screens set by Warrior center Andrew Bogut, forward Draymond Green, and forward Harrison Barnes to free guards Curry and Thompson.
The Cavs have to stay with their assigned man, keeping their man in front of them fighting through screen. The assignment is not letting their man go backdoor for a layup.
Cleveland’s secret weapon is starting center-forward Tristan Thompson the first round draft choice from the University of Texas in 2011. Thompson can score in bunches. He assists James in rebounds, hitting the backboards he is being called the Cavs double-double man with 36 this year. That is hard to do with teammate LeBron James rebounding too.